Movable wall panels are often used to divide an area into two or more regions. For example, movable wall panels are employed in schools, hotels, and convention centers to divide a large room into two or more smaller rooms. Another common use of movable wall panels is the formation of individual shop fronts within a mall. Clear glass panels are typically stored during business hours to produce a wide-open storefront, and are disposed in front of the storefront during off-business hours while permitting the viewing of merchandise. Alternatively, the clear glass panels may be disposed in front of the storefront during business hours if desired, and one or more panels may be configured to pivot to provide access, for example during inclement weather.
Movable wall panel systems typically include several components, such as wall panels, trolleys coupled to the wall panels, and tracks within which the trolleys can slide and displace the wall panels. The wall panels often are large planar structures that may be separate or attached to one another end-to-end. Many modern applications of wall panel systems utilize separate wall panels in order to allow greater versatility than systems employing wall panels that are attached end-to-end.
Mechanisms may be included that allow a sliding panel to be converted into a pivoting panel. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,648 to Kordes discloses a door or wall partition panel that includes a unit for swinging and sliding the panel. The panel is pivotally coupled to a movable carrier that is suspended from a rail by a plurality of suspensions. A floor lock is included on a lower portion of the panel that provides for selectively locking and unlocking the door at a specific location. The floor lock also provides a hinging function for the swinging movement of the door when it is in the locked position. A fixing and locking unit is also included on the upper portion of the panel that is configured to selectively lock relative motion between the rail and the carrier and between the panel and the carrier. The fixing and locking unit includes a locking screw that may be moved independent of a fixing screw to restrict translation of the panel along the rail and/or pivoting motion of the panel relative to the carrier.
An example of a floor door lock is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,274 to Eutebach. The floor door lock includes a housing that is located inside a carrier, a pivotal arm, a lock pin and a blocking means. The pivotal arm is pivotally connected to the housing and the lock pin is fixed to the bottom of the pivotal arm. In a locked position, the pivotal arm is pivoted toward the floor so that the lock pin extends into a receiving opening in the floor. In an unlocked position, the pivotal arm is pivoted toward the door and into the housing so that the lock pin is disengaged from the receiving opening. The blocking means provides a control interface and is configured so that it is rotated to bear against the pivotal arm to pivot and retain the pivotal arm in the locked position.
In a still further example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,892 to Haab et al. discloses an anchoring mechanism for a swinging door that includes a wedge-shaped hinge part that moves along a vertical axis between a locked position and an unlocked position. A vertical edge of the hinge part includes a guide section that interfaces a guide groove included in a guide part that is mounted to a bottom frame strip of the swinging door. An inclined surface of the hinge part interfaces an inclined surface of a lowering part that moves along a horizontal axis. As the lowering part is moved along the horizontal axis, the interface between the inclined surfaces causes the hinge part to move vertically. A hinge stud extends from a bottom surface of the hinge part and when the anchoring mechanism is in a locked position, the hinge stud is received in a rotatable bush that is anchored in the floor. The bush may also be configured to provide resistance to the swiveling of the door and automatically closes the swinging door.
A significant disadvantage of the anchoring mechanisms described above is that the door lock and the rotatable bush assembly must be anchored in a cavity in the floor. As a result, if the door lock or bush is not installed during initial construction of the floor (which requires pre-planning as to the location of the wall panel assembly), an installer is required to perform the time consuming and difficult task of creating a sufficient cavity in the floor, oftentimes in concrete, and installing the assembly in that cavity. Another disadvantage of existing systems is that the door closer assemblies are large and unsightly and are exposed either as a floor mounted assembly or as a header assembly.
Accordingly, there is a need for a floor anchor that does not require installation of a rotating bush or door closer mechanism in a cavity in the floor. There is also a need for a door closer that may be installed in a door panel.